Poisonous to Environment AND Politics

He’s quoted in the news telling the media to back off and give BP (BP) a break. “Everybody makes mistakes…” he says.

Of course, Rand is right. Even huge oil companies err. And anyone who tries to drill a hole in the earth’s crust a mile below the surface of the water, is bound to have a few ‘uh oh’ moments.

The size of the ‘uh oh’ in this case could be breathtaking. Who knows? On the one hand, the oil company acts like our son, Edward, 16, when he drops a glass or forgets to do his homework. “It’s no big deal… Don’t get all excited about it…” he says.

On the other, there are ‘experts’ predicting an EE – an ‘extinction event.’ If enough black goo oozes out of the hole, they say, it could poison all the oceans…and make the planet uninhabitable! The continental US will be a land crowned with brotherhood from slick to shining slick.

We don’t know what to think. So we don’t think anything at all. Besides, the newspaper tells us that Kevin Costner has invented a new technology for cleaning up the ocean – called “ocean therapy.” No kidding.

But the media is on BP’s case. And the politicians too. Nobody likes a big oil company. And Rand Paul’s comment – according to the press – just proves the man is not fit to sit in the US Congress. The press wants someone who knows how to fake outrage when the moment calls for it.

We don’t know Rand Paul; we only know his father. Pere Paul is the kind of politician the country needs but won’t accept. He offers real ‘change.’ That is to say, if he had the power to do so, he would unwind the welfare/warfare state. He would more-or-less, let people alone to get on with their own lives again.

But that is not what Americans want…neither Republicans, Democrats, nor Tea Party members. Nor is it what voters want. What the man on the street seems to want is cheaper gasoline, free health care, food stamps, Social Security, wars and boondoggles. At least, that’s what the evidence suggests. He wants protection from everything and a free lunch too.

Since founding Agora Inc. in 1979, Bill Bonner has found success and garnered camaraderie in numerous communities and industries. A man of many talents, his entrepreneurial savvy, unique writings, philanthropic undertakings, and preservationist activities have all been recognized and awarded by some of America’s most respected authorities.

Along with Addison Wiggin, his friend and colleague, Bill has written two New York Times best-selling books, Financial Reckoning Day and Empire of Debt. Both works have been critically acclaimed internationally. With political journalist Lila Rajiva, he wrote his third New York Times best-selling book, Mobs, Messiahs and Markets, which offers concrete advice on how to avoid the public spectacle of modern finance.

Since 1999, Bill has been a daily contributor and the driving force behind The Daily Reckoning.

4 Comments on Poisonous to Environment AND Politics

Why would Rand Paul go on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC program earlier this week and imply that he would not have supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had he been there to vote on it. Did he really believe that there would be any possible political gain by doing something as reckless and as silly as that?

The answer is – Yes he did – and here's the really sad part: He was probably correct to believe there would be a substantial political payoff in the long run for making such an egregiously ignorant remark. Just take a look around you….

The political landscape of this once-great nation is more tarnished than at any time in the last half century. The right wing media, with FOX Noise in the lead, has created from scratch an industry whose whole purpose is to mine racial fears against the first African American president in American history. For many years – right up until the moment Barack Obama took the oath of office – racism in America was, for the most part, covert. On January 20, 2009 it became – in too many corners of this country to count – overt. It is all around us and is being encouraged.http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com

Tom, you are certainly correct in your conclusion that racism has become more overt and encouraged. But it's not Rand Paul or Fox that encourages it. It's the likes of Maddow, Olbermann, Matthews, Jackson, Sharpton and a host of other race baiters who can't seem to see beyond race and tiresomely resort to playing that card at each and every opportunity. They are shameless in employing it incessantly and overtly.
Paul went on Maddow in a celebratory mood after his impressive 2010 primary victory. Do you believe for one second that discussing 1964 legislation was at the top of his priority list? It was SHE that went down that road. Worse, her intent in doing so was blatantly overt. That tells me all I need to know.

Maddow brought Rand Paul on to discuss comments made as far back as 2002 regarding one portion of the Civil Rights Act.

Racism is a cultural and social problem that will not disappear by Federal fiat. Murderous wars of aggression, expansions of the police state, and bankster bailouts are political problems. Lets get focused here.